Filling machine



FeB; 121946. H. e. ALLEN FILLING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENTOR Jib ward AZZeTZ Feb. 12, 1946. I G, ALLEN Y 2,394,737

FILLING uxcu'nu: 4

Filed March 22. 1941 3 sheets-sheet z Feb. 12, 1946. v I GNALLEN 2,394,737

FILLING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1941 s Sheets-Sheet 3 2g 3 I INV ENTOR I flail/(0'6? iAZZen Patented Feb. 12, 1946 FILLING MACHINE Howard G. Allen, Niagara Falls. N. Y., assignor to Consolidated Packaging Machinery Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 22, 1941, Serial No.'384,616

4 Claims. (Cl. 226-24) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in container filling machines of the type adapted to handle powdery non-free-fiowing materials and particularly seeks to provide novel means for effecting the desired resistance to the downward movement of a container being pressure packed.

Filling machines of the general type to which this invention relates may comprise one or more filling units. When more than a single unit is employed to fill a container, it is common practice to fill the container in two operations, the first of which injects the bulk load into the container, and the second of which completes the filling by the addition of the dribble feed While the container is supported by a weighing device. This invention is particularly adaptable for use in connection with the bulk loading operation. In some instances, the bulk load material must be compacted to a certain distance below the container top in order to provide ample space to receive the dribble charge. In instances of this nature, the container is carried by a vertically movable member adapted to freely move the container upward, but oifering resistance to the return downward movement. Thus, the container is pressure packed byfilling from the bottom up, and the degree of packing is determined by combined efiect of the resisting force of the container supporting member during its downward move ment and the applied force produced by the feeding auger of the filling machine.

Heretofore, several forms of devices have been employed which imposed a more or less, uniform resistance to containers during the downward movement of the same while the bulk loading operations were being performed. These prior devices have included balance beams which supported a container on one end and a resistance imposing weight on the other end, and counterbalanced supports having suspended weights adjusted to provide the desired resistance. The vast majority of these earlierjdevices were generally bulky in structure and difllcult to manipulate or regulate accurately.

It istherefore an object of this invention to provide a novel device for imposing a desired substantially uniform resistance during downward movement of a container while bulk loading is taking place.

Another object. of this invention is to provide a device of the character stated which is efi'ective, after the bulk loading has been completed, to reduce the resistance against downward movement of the container to a degree 'which'then permits more rapid movement of the container to its lowest limit of downward movement.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the character stated which permits free upward movement of a container preparatory to bulk loading thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the character stated which is simple in design, rugged in construction, and economical to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the nature of which will become more apparent, the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the,drawings, the accompanying detailed description, and the appended claims.

In the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of filling machine in connection with which this invention may be employed; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation illustrating the position of a container and its associated supporting member at the start of bulk loading;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and shows the position of the parts at the end of bulk loading but before the container supporting member has reached its downward limit of travel; 7

Fig. 4 is a. longitudinal vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig.4;

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section taken through the hydraulic cylinder;

Fig. 'I is a somewhat conventionalized view illustrating the positions of the several parts comprising the linkage connections at the beginning of bulk loading;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing the positions of the parts upon completion of bulk loading; and

Fig; 9 is a view similar to Figs. 7 and 8 but showing the final positions of the parts at the completion of the downward movement of the container supporting table.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention as illustrated is embodied in a filling machine including a base A which houses the container support controlling mechanism, a standard B and material feeding devices C mounted on the standard and including the usual vertically disposed :feed auger D. v The base A is a generally rectangular housing including side Walls 5, 5. a front wall 6.rear wall "I and a top 8. One side wall 5 supports the vertically disposed slide way 9 through the medium of brackets ID. The slide way 9 is adapted to support a vertically movable container-support ing table element ll having a depending slide bar or plunger I2 engaged with the slide way 9. The table element II is provided with spaced container-confining plates l3, I3 between which a container is adapted to be placed for filling, and which are aidaptedsto prevent the wallssof the container from bulging outwardly as are'su-lt of the filling operation. Normally, the table element l l is disposed'in substantially coplanar relation with the top 8 of the base, and whenein tihat position is adapted to receive an empty container from a supply of containers. eAiter a container has been properly positioned iupon the table element II the table element israis'e'd un' der'th filling devices C, and the auger D and its cooperating nozzle elements are thereby gpositionedwithin the container in the ,manner indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The filling mechanismds then placed into operation, andasethe: material is inj ected into, the container. .the giorceresulfmg item he :filling will tend tea-move the .ta-bieeleu I and th containers-associated therewith downwardly to thereby effec the .filling of .the container from the bottomdlp, ;'In;otIl& dS, the -c ntainer wil the pressure masked. Means miisti etprovided to pmvideaunitorm resistance to the downward;movement ,of the ,tablaelement ll. during the filling operation ..in..order tha lthe 'pressure pa king-ofithelcontainerrmay beprepe ly effected. r T Th slide bar 2 and: its-a sociated table .ele ment I are ada ted tobe..reoiproc tedvertically 7 through mechanisms "(see allies-519,) whiehlinlclude an oscillatable bar 14 hayingone end .carried :by .a shaft 1.5 journalled. between tnessid walls 5, and located adiacent the end wall .1. ..A pitman It has one end secured 120a shaft, l,'.'|;jo,ur nalledhetwefi thelside wallsjfand. located adi se ,th eend W l 6- Thetireetendof thesbarll i 'i r yided t a lease v .str.i.1.cti1re ...cpmprising .a strap l8 maintained in spaced parallelrelation w th-resp t to-the t nplaneofthe earthy spac bar lr4zis provided ;nearits mid-point with. 7

an upstandin rest :2 which is pivotally nected at its upper end to devices which effec- .tively and substantially uniforml resist .the return d wnward osci ation of the bar and vconseguently b the desired, .uniform resistance to downward travel of the-table velement .Lluduring hulk daddies- These devises include an 11P- s scann d .e linder e25 'pivotally oonneeted atlits. w rrend tor-a 11 1215 .oarriedbythehase, A- o The rlinder r2 1 filled with a .fluid su has .oi rm ided with.adhQmaDeRmmdpiston 1.1

has its lower end secured to the piston 2! and its upper end projecting beyond the upper cap closing the associated end of the cylinder 25.

Suitable packing glands 30 are carried by the cyl- 5 inder cap and prevent leakage of fluid around the piston rod through the medium of adjusting nuts 32;

communication between the upper and lower ends of the cylinder is provided through t the medium of -a pipei33 and valve 34 which con- Idnects the'upper and lower end of the cylinder.

Thus,'-displacement oi fluid from the lower end 7 of the cylindertothe upper end thereof during mitted. It is obvious that, since the valve disc 28 20 is' located on lowerface of the piston, downward movement ofthepiston.willcbe resisted by pressure ,of ,the. .fi1iid .in thenbottomi of 1 the .cylinder and, the. degree of. this .resistance may .be re lated by ,proper adjustment .of the valve .34.

.Since thereisno necessityto prolong the resistance to. downward .travel of the. table element H beyond the time during which bulk -loading of. the supported containeris takingplacaumeans are provided whereby, upon completion ,of .the

g0 hulkloading, thetablevelementwill partakenoi -a c.onsiderably. more.rapid downward. movement to itsslower limitoi movement. 'In this connection, the cylinder .25 is,provided.with;.a port 3 5 located in .such .-a position i that 'it .Will be opened .into

3.5 communication with the ,upper .portionzof the cylinderlby downward passageof the piston. The port I35 ,is ieonnecte'd ..'to the bottom v-.oi the .cylinder I2 5 through .the .mediumlof a ,pipe 36 and valve 31.. 'Ihus,.as.the pistoniis moved down,-

dl) Wiardly to provide theflreguisite ;resistance to .moilementof the :table .element l I it will pass below the port 135 .and, .as soon (as the port .is thus ihroughtinto ,Ionenoommnnication awithzthe upper portion .of the cylinder, .it willjbereadily A5 apparent that the flllid, which :is displaced by Passa eof the piston, will enter ,the upper portion oof the cylinder through the pipe 136 and valve .31 ,as well through the pipe '33 an'drthe .valve 34. .;Thus, the fluid withinthe i'bottom portion .of the Cylinder .is permitted to become displaced ..much more rapidly than vit was dis-.- placed throughthe "Dipei33eand its associated Valve 3 d it 'isiobviousth'a't thisvgreater flow of 'jfluid from the 'lower portion of the cylinder 5 .to the,upPer.D rtion of the cylinder will result, 'in

.am'ore rapid downward movementof the piston and will consequently effect the desiredtquick drop of the table element ll during the latter portion of itsdownward travel.

50 fIhebar L4 and itsassociated"linkageconnections -,are adapted to be raised to the uppermost position preparatory to filling [oi a container through .themedium-oi cam and 'follower 001i? nections whichincludeiahighlift cam.38.-rigid1y 155 secured to a shaft 39 journalledhetweemthe side .walls -..5..and whichtengages a rollencam io'llower -.4llomtatably.eanried by the bar 1:4. jflhusnrotation of .theshaft, 3.9 .will efiect the upward oscil- .l ation of thelbar .l 4 and, consequently, will efiect shaviihg aespringrhiased disc al lelliion its ,.lower 10 the raising of the table element ll toits upper! side normally closing the piston apertures and wh ch perm ts if ee ;.-pas.saseof h -.Piston Lup :war ly th ough the .flu but-whi h {retards dewnward nassageroi the nisto as the piston most position. Continued rotation of the shaft 39 will effect .movement or the .cam 38 relative to'thescamflfollower fllbeyond'the highlift point and vwilLthils permit downward movement of the must then displace the fluid, A piston rod L2; .tablelelementandjts associated linkage .connections under the filling pressure of the feed auger D of the filling head. Since it is necessary that the cycles of operation of a filling machine of this nature be completed at uniform intervals of time in order that the over-all productive speed may be satisfactorily maintained, it is desirable to provide means to assure the return of the table element H to its lowermost position prior to the time at which the next succeeding cycle of operations begins. In this connection, a cam 4| is rigidly secured to a shaft 42 journalled between the side walls 5 and is adapted to operatively engage a cam follower 43 rotatably mounted on a bracket 44 secured to the upper face of the bar I4. The cam 4| is so designed that it will not tend to engage thefollower 43 until the bar M has almost reached its lower limit of oscillation. Thus, engagement of the cam 4| with the follower 43, in the event that the bar I4 has not quite returned to its lowermost position, serves merely as a device which assures the return of all parts to the initial position at the end of each cycle of operations. It should be noted that the cam follower connections 4| and 43 serve no function relative to the resistance effect of the mechanisms herein described during bulk loading and are so timed that they cannot be effective to positively impart any downward movement of the bar |4 until the quick drop portion of movement thereof has commenced. The cam shafts 39 and 42 may be driven through the medium of sprocket chain and gear connections generally indicated at 45 and which may be operatively connected to the main driving elements of the filling machine.

The time at which the quick drop portion of travel of the mechanism begins may be varied by varying the position of the piston 21 within the cylinder through the medium of the adjusting nuts 32 of the piston rod 29. Variations in the over-all distance of vertical travel of the table element II and its associated plunger |2 may be effected by adjusting the roller 2| within the slot of its associated pitman l6.

Thus, it will be seen that the invention herein disclosed provides a novel device forimposing a substantially uniform resistance to the downward movement of a container while pressure packed bulk loading is taking place; which is effective after the bulk loading has been completed to reduce the resistance against downward movement of the container to a degree which permits a relatively quick drop movement of the container to its lowest limit of travel; which permits free upward movement of the container preparatory to bulk loading thereof; and which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

It is of course to be understood that certain details of arrangement and proportions of parts may be variously modified without exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a container filling machine, a base, a filling nozzle carried by said base, a vertically movable container supporting table carried by said base and disposed in vertical alignment with said filling nozzle, means including an oscillatable bar and link connections for raising said table to place a container carried thereon in nozzle encompassing position preparatory to bulk loading of said container, means associated with said nozzle for forcibly injecting material into said container, the force thereby produced being effective to initiate downward movement of said table and the container carried thereby, a fluid containing cylinder having one end connected to said base, a piston slidably mounted within said cylinder, a piston rod having its free end pivotally connected to said oscillatable bar, said piston being provided with a valve effective to permit free passage of the piston upwardly through the fluid in said cylinder and to resist downward movement of saidpiston through the fluid, and adjustable means communicating with each end zone of said cylinder for permitting displacement of said fluid during downward movement of said piston and being effective to control through said piston and the linkages associated therewith the imposition of a substantially uniform resistance to downward movement of said table whereby the bulk load material injected into said container will be packed substantially uniformly upwardly from the bottom throughout its entire depth;

2. In a container filling machine, a base; a filling nozzle supported above said base; a vertically movable container supporting table carried by said base and disposed in vertical alignment with said filling nozzle; means for raising said table to place a container carried thereon in nozzle encompassing position preparatory to fill ing said container; means associated with said nozzle for forcibly injecting material into said container, the force thereby exerted being effective to produce downward movement of said table and the container carried thereby; fluid controlled means comprising a fluid containing cylinder, a piston slidably mounted within said cylinder, said piston being provided with a valve effective to permit freepassage of the piston in one direction through the fluid in said cylinder and to resist movement of said piston through the fluid in the opposite direction, and means communicating with each end zone of said cylinder for permitting displacement of said fluid at a limited rate during movement of said piston in said last-named direction; said fluid controlled means being operatively connected with said table to be eiiective during downward movement of said table produced by the injection of filling material into the container carried thereby to impose substantially uniform resistance to such.

downward movement and to permit relatively free upward movement of said table.

3. In a container filling machine, a base; a filling nozzle supported above said base; a vertically movable container supporting table carried by said base and disposed in vertical alignment with said filling nozzle; means for raising said table to place a container carried thereon in nozzle encompassing position preparatory to filling said container; means associated with said nozzle for forcibly injecting material into said.

container, the force thereby exerted being effective to produce downward movement of said table and the container carried thereby; fluid controlled means comprising a fluid containing cylinder, a piston slidably mounted within said cylinder, said piston being provided with a valve effective to permit free passage of the piston in one direction through the fluid in said cylinder and to resist movement of said piston through the fluid in the opposite direction, means communicating with each end zone of said cylinder for permitting displacement of said fluid at a limited rate during movement of said piston in said last-named direction, and means operative subsequently to predetermined movement of said piston in said last-named direction for permitting displacement of said fluid at a substantially gr ater-irate; r'said fiui'd ccontr ol'led -nieans being relatively if1'ee.'-'11-pward n'iovement of saidr 'table and t'obe =efiecti've during" downward movement of 'saidztahle producdby'the iinj'ection of filling material into the container carried ther'eb'y to impose suiistantially uniformresistance -to such downward movement and "to permit relatively free downward" movement :of "said 'tableafter in- Motion-of I filling xnrateri'al into -'-s'aid container is complete. v

n =4. a -container filling -unrachine, *a "base; a fillingnozzie supported :abovesaid base; a vertically' i-m ovabie container supporting table carried. by sai'd ii ase :a'n'ddisposed in vertical alignment with'i'said 'filling nozzle; means for'raising said table to pl'ac'e a 'container carried thereonin nozzle encompassing position-preparatory to filling said container; means associated with said nozzlefor forcibly injecting material into said container, the force thereby-exerted being effective to produ'ce downward movement of said table and the container carried thereby; fluid controlled means icomprisi'ng a fluid containing cylinder, a piston 'slidably mounted within said cylinder, said-piston being provided Witha valve effective torpermit'free'passage of thep'iston in 7 one direction throughthe fluid in :said cylinder and *to =-1resistiinovement or :said piston tnroug'h thef fluid- -in the opposite direction, piirts opening into opposite" end" zones of 'said cylinder, means connecting'said 'ports including an "adjustably restricted passageway through which :said flu'id ma now to permit displacement 5 thereof at a limited rate during movement of said piston insaidlastnamed "direction, an additional :p0rt 10cated between the ends of said cylinder, means connecting said'additional:port with an 'e'nd'zone ofsa'id cylinder #including "a passageway "through which said fluid m'ay'be "displaced at a substantially greater rate after said piston has passed sa'id additional port in its -movement in said l'aStnamed-direction; said fluid controlled means b'eingzoperativeiy connected with said'table to perinit relatively free upward movein'ent of said table and to b'eefiectiveduring downward movement of said table produced by the injection 'o'f' filling material into said ont'ainer =t'o impose substantially iinif orm' resistance to such downward movement whereby the material 'being injected into Said "container will be substantially uniformly packed throughout its entire depth and being efiective after pa'cking of said material 'is complete t'o permit a relatively quick drop of said table to its lowermost position a I HOWARD o. 

